Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 71
PSAL. LXXI. foreign.
BEcauſe David compoſed this Pſalm in his old age, as is evident by the 4, 5, 8. verſes, conceived it is, that the enemies he here prays to be delivered from, was Abſolon and his Conſpirators.
The parts in general, are two.
1. A Prayer, that God would help and deliver him, to perſwade which, he uſeth many Arguments, from ver. 1. to 22.
2. His Vow of Thankſgiving, from ver. 22. to the end.
1. The firſt part. Davids Prayer.In the firſt verſe he propoſeth his Petition in general words, Let me never be put to confuſion, Vers. 1 be ſhamed by my enemies. 2. And intimates the cauſe, In thee I put my trust. Vers. 2 Which Petition he renews more particularly, verſ. 2. Deliver me, Vers. 3 cauſe me to eſcape, encline thine ear, ſave me. Be my ſtrong habitation, whereunto I may alwayes reſort.
2. His Arguments to perſwade it.And then urgeth many Arguments, that he might draw God to hear and deliver him.
1. Vers. 2 From his juſtice and equity. Deliver me in thy righteouſneſs, i. e. as thou art a juſt God.
2. Vers. 3 From his word and promiſe. Thou haſt given Commandment to ſave me; therefore ſave me. Ʋt verax.
3. Vers. 3 From his power. Thou art a Rock and Fortreſs. Able then to deliver.
4. From that relation betwixt God and David. Thou art my Rock, my Fortreſs, my God, my hope. An intereſt I have in thee. Therefore deliver.
5. Vers. 4 From the Qualities of his Adverſaries. They were wicked, unrighteous, cruel men.
6. From the confidence he had in God. Which he amplifies from the time.
1. Thou art my truſt even from my youth.
2. And recalling, as it were, his words. Nay, long before. By thee I have been holden up from the womb. Thou art he that took me out of my mothers bowels.
7. From his thankful heart. My praiſe ſhall be continually of thee.
8. From the condition he was in. Become he was the ſcorn of men. I am as a wonder unto many.
9. Laſtly, None he had to truſt to but his God. But thou art my ſtrong refuge, and therefore from him prayes and expects deliverance, that thereby he might ſing his praiſes with the fuller voice. Let my mouth be fill'd with thy praiſe, and with thy honour all the day.
3. He renews his prayer.And then he returns to his prayer again.
Caſt me not off in the time of old age, forſake me not when my ſtrength faileth. And then complains of his Adverſaries, which he uſeth for a reaſon alſo, Deſcribes his enemies.that God hear him. Theſe are very impetuous, and intolerable.
1. For mine enemies speak againſt me. Linguam ad jurgia ſolvunt.
2. They labour to take away my life. They watch, they lay wait for my ſoul.
3. They ſtudy miſchief. They take counſel together. It is a plot, a conſpiracy.
4. They inſult, and ſpeak words able to break my heart. God hath forſaken him, perſecute him, and take him, for there is none to deliver him.
4. Prayes againſt them.This puts David to his prayers again. O my God, be not farre from me, make haſte to help me, O my God. And he prayes,
1. Againſt them. Let them be confounded and conſumed, that are adverſaries to my ſoul, let them be covered with reproach and diſhonour, that ſeek my hurt.
2. ProfeſſethThen makes a profeſſion of his hope and thankfulneſs.
1. 1His hope.But I will hope continually.
2. I will yet praiſe thee more and more. In which he aſcribes all the honour to God. My mouth ſhall ſhew forth thy righteouſneſs and thy ſalvation all the day, 2His thankfulneſs.for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the ſtrength of the Lord God, I will make mention of thy righteouſneſs, even of thine only.
Secondly, Vers. 17 He re-inforceth his prayer from his experience unto him from his youth.He re-inforceth his prayer by his experience of Gods goodneſs to him.
1. O God, thou haſt taught me from my youth. Both by thy Word, and Spirit.
2. And hitherto I have ſerved thee, I have declared thy wondrous works.
3. Therefore let thy grace uphold me ſtill, forſake me not now, when I am old, and gray-headed. And the end why he thus prayes, is,
4. Ʋntill I have ſhewed thy power to this generation, and thy ſtrength to every one which is yet for to come. Let not thy power receive diſhonour by my ruine.
Thirdly, And yet again he returns to praiſe God: He again praiſeth God for his goodneſs.and he begins with an foreign.
1. Thy righteouſneſs, O Lord, is very high, who haſt done great things: O God, who is like unto thee? i. e. Wonderful, O Lord, is thy power in defence of thy Servants, for thou ſaveſt them in another way, and by a higher hand, than we can wiſh or think.
2. And this is evident in me. I am the example of it. For,
1. Thou haſt ſhewed me, 1. Troubles. 2. Great and ſore troubles.Of which he is an example.
2. Yet thou ſhalt quicken me again.
3. And ſhalt bring me up from the depths of the earth.
4. Thou ſhalt increaſe my greatneſs.
5. And comfort me on every ſide. 'Tis an elegant Incrementum.
2. And thus by faith having incouraged and comforted himſelf in God, The ſecond part. His Doxology.he cheerfully returns his Doxology, profeſſing to do it by all means he could.
1. With inſtruments of Muſick. I will alſo praiſe thee with the Pſaliery, even thy Truth, O my God, unto thee will I ſing with the Harp, O thou holy One of Iſrael.
2. With his lips and ſoul. My lips ſhall greatly rejoice when I ſing to thee, and my ſoul, which thou haſt redeemed. Hypocrites praiſe God with the lips only, but David joins the ſoul to the lips.
3. With his tongue. My tongue ſhall alſo talk of thy righteouſneſs all day long. And he concludes with this reaſon.
For they are confounded, for they are brought to ſhame, that ſeek my hurt.
The Prayer collected out of the ſeventy firſt Pſalm.
O Lord God Almighty, many are the enemies, Vers. 10 that ſéek after my ſoul to deſtroy it, they ſpeak againſt me, they lay wait for my ſoul, they take counſel together, they encourage themſelves in miſchief, ſaying, that God, of whoſe favour he was want to boaſt, and by whoſe hand he hath hitherto béen ſale that God hath now forſaken him, and left him in your hands, perſecute him, and take him, for there is none to deliver him.
But in thee, O Lord, is my truſt, be not far from me, O my God, Vers. 1, 12. make haſte to my help. Deliver me for thy righteouſneſs, and cauſe me to eſcape, Vers. 2 encline thine car unto me, and ſave me. Thou art my Rock and my Fortreſs, be thou th…n my ſtrong Habitation, whereunto I may alway reſort. Thou haſt given a Commandment to ſave me: Deliver me then at this time, Vers. 13 out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. Let them be confounded and conſumed, that are adverſaries to my ſoul, let them be covered with reproach and diſhonour, that ſeek my hurt.
O Lord, for thy ſake I am become as a prodigious thing unto many, Vers. 7 they caſt a ſcornful eye upon me, as if I were the off-ſcouring of the world, but thou, Lord, art my ſtrong helper, under whoſe wing I ſhall be ſafe, and overcome come thoſe difficulties, Vers. 5 which otherwiſe are inevitable. Thou, Lord, art he alone in whom from my youth to this day, I have put my hope. By thee I have been upholden from the womb; Thou art he that tookeſt me out of my mothers bowels, and ever ſince, by thy miraculous preſervation of me, haſt given me juſt occaſion to praiſe thee. Let then my mouth be fill'd with thy praiſe, and with thy honour all the day long. Now alſo when I am old and gray-headed, good Lord, forſake me not.
So ſhall I praiſe thee more and more, my mouth ſhall ſhew forth thy righteouſneſs, thy faithfulneſs in kéeping promiſes, thy juſtice in puniſhing wicked men, and thy mercy to me, in ſending ſalvation at all times.
Great and wonderful things, O Lord, are thoſe that thou haſt done for me, they excéed for number, I cannot reach to them for heighth. O Lord, who is like unto thee? If I would declare them, and ſpeak of them, they are more than I am able to expreſs. Yet what I can do, I will do, I will ſhew thy ſtrength to this generation, and thy power to all them that are yet for to come. Though I am a man of a ſhort time, and no way eloquent, yet, I will go in the ſtrength of the Lord God, and I will make mention of thy righteouſneſs, even of thine only.
O God, from my youth thou only haſt taught me. Many experiences I have had of thy power and juſtice, for thou haſt ſhew'd me great and ſore troubles, and yet haſt quickned me again, thou haſt brought me within the ſight of death and the grave, and yet haſt recovered me again from the depths of the earth. From ſo great a death thou haſt delivered me, and I am perſwaded, that thou wilt yet deliver me, nay, that thou wilt yet adde this over and above to thy goodneſs, that thou wilt yet increaſe my greatneſs, and comfort me on every ſide.
Thought I am by thy Word, aſſured by thy Spirit, that thou wilt not be wanting in thy promiſe, neither then will I be wanting in my thanks. As thou wilt be merciful, ſo will I alwayes be thankful. I will ſet forth thy praiſes with the Pſaltery, I will ſound out thy truth in performing thy promiſes, with inſtruments of Muſick. To thee will I ſing upon the Harp, O my God, O thou that art holy, and makeſt Iſrael to be a holy people.
Neither will I reſound thy honour in a dull and a heavy manner, my lips ſhall clearly expreſs, what the inſtrument darkly brings to the ear, and my heart and ſoul, which thou haſt redéemed, ſhall exult and rejoice at the honour of thy name.
And after the Anthymne is ended, I will yet praiſe thee more and more, for my tongue all the day long ſhall be employed in talking and making mention of thy righteouſneſs. And all that fear thee, ſhall ſay, Bleſſed be God, who hath confounded and brought to ſhame all thoſe who ſtudy the hurt of his people, and the ſubverſion of his Church.